Noelle & Grant
Wedding Party
Emily Pulley
Maid of Honor
Emily and I met through our roommates and then became roommates! We both completed our Masters Degrees in Social work at The University of Texas in Austin. I lived with Emily (and Kelly, another one of my bridesmaids!) for almost four years and they were the most formative years of my life. She is the sister I never had. Emily shares a passion for social justice and is an amazing advocate for clients, friends, and pretty much anyone in need of help. She is wise beyond her years and yet can be lighthearted at just the right moment. This gringa is fluent in Spanish, lived in different parts of South America, and can make salsa almost as well as my mom!
James Kinman
Best Man
James is a good man, the best man, a scholar, my brother, and a chef. He is currently attending my Alma mater, Western Washington University and in his spare time he enjoys reading, film, and dissecting the intricacies of the NBA. James is an extremely talented artist and he also has an affinity for good coffee and great food. James has a great passion for others and is very thoughtful. His gifts to me over the years adorn my walls and add color to my dull home. I look forward to more of them blessing Noelle and I’s first home. On our most recent adventure together, we braved the Last Frontier, Alaska, where we were fortunate enough to see the sunrise and set on Mt. Denali, catch giant king salmon, and relax and read books and hang on the banks of glacial rivers and lakes.
Carolina Palazzo
Matron of Honor
Carolina and I have been besties since 8th grade PE. She introduced me to all things pop culture, and I have her to thank for my love of The Office, Harry Potter, and even less-cool (or maybe cooler?) things like Dashboard Confessional. Carolina and her husband, Jeremy, have a true gift for gathering people. Carolina has walked with me through many seasons of life and I am so grateful that our friendship has stood the tests of time and distance (Fun Fact: we won "Best Best Friends" in our senior year yearbook). Oh, and fair warning: if you put us on the same board game team we WILL win.
Mike Rush
Groomsman
Mike is a good man, a world traveler, and an entrepreneur. He is one of my friends that dates back to my first public school year in 8th grade. Mike was cool before anyone could figure out as an adolescent what that even looked like. He took me under his wing in 8th grade and we’ve been hanging ever since. We went to Western together and lived in Bellingham afterwards for another year, then we took off to South America for an international adventure, and we were reunited in LA for a few years during our twenties. Our last adventure brought Mike to LA for our 4th annual Joshua Tree trip. Together, with our crew, we braved wild animals, survived deadly hikes, and cut our first rap music video (maybe coming out soon).
Prudence Sasaki
Bridesmaid
Prudence was my college roommate and has been one of my best friends for about ten years. She has a deep love for Jesus and is really great at pursuing friendship. In fact, she visited me right when I moved to Austin and right before I left. She will always go the extra mile, including driving 30 minutes from home in the dark to look for a lost cell phone off the side of the road. Prudence and her husband are excellent hosts and I have enjoyed Ron's made-to-order omlettes on more than one occasion. Prudence loves to travel and has an excellent sense of style. She is very generous and I miss having access to her closet. One of my favorite things in the world is to sit, have coffee, and talk with Prudence for multiple hours. Check her out @theprudenceprofile !
Anthony Bucklin (Buck)
Groomsman
More commonly known as Buck, his real name is Anthony. Anthony is a good man, a loving husband, and a loyal friend. He currently resides in Vancouver, WA where he and I grew up and ran the streets together. Anthony lives with his lovely wife, Julianne, and they will be having their first baby shortly before the wedding! I was blessed to be the best man in their wedding and I am fortunate to have Anthony in mine. He is a friend who sticks as close as a brother and I do not know the number of phone conversations we’ve had encouraging each other over the years, but I’m thankful for each. Our last adventure has us parading through the streets of Portland with Noelle the day before I proposed keeping her properly out of the loop of the big surprise. He is also the man on the right (photo).
Victoria Mannoia
Bridesmaid
Victoria and I met in the same family church we grew up in. In fact, I think her mom was my small group leader at one point! We went to the same Jr. High and High School and have been growing in friendship our whole lives. Victoria has a knack for asking questions that cut to a person's soul. She cares deeply and intentionally for her friends and I especially benefitted from this when I lived out of state and visited CA for holidays and other occasions. Victoria is my kindred sassy Latina and an incredible businesswoman. She loves R&B, her dogs, and cooking DELICIOUS Mexican food!
Cheng Chen
Groomsman
Cheng is a good man and a great doctor. He is one of my first friends I made during my Los Angeles years. For a number of years, Cheng played host to our church small group, and he plays the role of host extremely well. He has welcomed me into his home for a good meal and good conversation more times than I can count in my years in LA. He also graciously tolerates my onslaught of medical questions which has saved me so many hours at the doctor. Our most recent adventure took us 2 laps around Silver Lake Reservoir where I summarized my most recent book, “Born to Run,” in the first lap and we solved the world’s problems in the second lap and then ate Thai food!
Makenzie Armer
Bridesmaid
When I was a kid I promised my Auntie "Curly" that I would love her children, even before she had children. Twenty-five years and two children later, I am still keeping my promise! Makenzie is a senior in high school and doing great things. She joined color guard her freshman year, to the surprise and joy of my marching band heart. She loves Star Wars, crime dramas, and Nacho Libre. She is funny and can be counted on for subtle Office references. It has been so fun doing vacations together, most recently to Seattle where she was brave enough to go to the top of the Space Needle. She has welcomed "Gran Dolar" into our family and I am so excited for the possibility that she might go to college in SoCal next year!
Josh Lider
Groomsman
Josh is a good man, an excellent fly fisherman, and a gregarious monkey. He has a gift for getting to know people and I have been blessed since that first moment he and I met at our freshmen year college ministry. We bonded over building his grandparent’s beach bulkhead at their cabin in Seattle one weekend and have been close friends since. Josh and I lived together in the dorms freshmen year where he met his lovely bride, Camille. I was blessed to be a part of their love story since it’s inception and it continues to grow, now with two boys. One of our great adventures together had us braving the rowdiest storm Bellingham Bay has ever seen, taking on the howling waves and talking back to the crushing wind blows from the water’s edge. Our reward: we wound up on local news for our antics.
Jenny Leigh Walthall
Bridesmaid
Jenny Leigh is a faithful friend in both senses of the word. In the spirit of honesty I'll say that our friendship started because of our love of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette (to the extent that there were bingo cards and brackets...). However, over the years I believe we've both proven that we're here for the right reasons. Jenny Leigh has a dry humor that draws people in and a loyalty that cannot be broken. She has a love for Christ that is unwavering--even in the difficult times. We attended the same church in Austin for almost two years and were part of the same discipleship group. It is a privilege to share deeply in each others' lives, to be vulnerable, and to encourage one another to this day.
Greg Conley
Groomsman
Greg is a good man with a gift for manipulation that matches the size of his muscles. Duritas! Greg and I met my second and his first year of college. He was better at basketball and taller than me, but I let none of these things stand in my way. He also would never back down from anything or anyone, and I’ve always appreciated that about him. He’s consistent. He’s consistently been a great friend and a brother who has challenged me in the development of my faith and intellect and supported me through difficult times and celebrated with me in the best of times. One of our recent adventures had me crashing on his couch for a week during the summer where he spent the vast majority of my trip trying to convince me of the superiority of Spokane compared to all other livable cities in the U.S.
Bridgette Garza
Bridesmaid
Bridgette and I met when she started dating my brother, Daniel. It has been a true joy watching her love Daniel so well and seeing him be his full self with her. They got married this summer and I could not be happier for them both! Bridgette is a photographer by trade and shared her incredible skills with us during Grant's proposal. She is intentional about family time and I have felt so cared for by her (and her family: shoutout Patty, Mary, and Monica) every time we get together. Bridgette and I share a love for games and she has taught me one of my favorites, Skip-bo! She is incredibly considerate, and consistently thinks of others before herself. While she's a "homebody" at heart, she'll always come out for fun and has shown me lots of awesome spots in her hometown, Portland.
Daniel Garza
Groomsman
Daniel is a good man, a great brother to Noelle, and will soon be a member of the city of Beaverton’s police department. He is a dog whisperer and has trained his dog Apollo to speak. He is an artisan, a craftsmen more specifically, and has built multiple pieces for Noelle that will one day grace our home. Our last adventure had him and I planning Noelle and I’s engagement. Along with his lovely wife, Bridgette, we planned the surprise that would have Noelle feeling “duped and lied to” and elated. Thanks Shooter #2 for your help in the engagement. I am glad to be joining the Garza family and having you join the Kinman’s.
Amanda Knight
Bridesmaid
Amanda and I met when she was visiting LA to go to a Seahawks game. We share a love of football and a loyalty to our teams. Amanda has a competitive streak that I got to witness while playing Nerts, a card game. She is also an avid cyclist, and even completed the Seattle to Portland race! I have loved getting to know Amanda since dating Grant and being able to share in their family time. She is an amazing mom to William, our ring bearer, Harper, our flower girl, and a sweet baby girl named Quinn. These are the first kiddos to make me an aunt and I feel so blessed! Amanda and her husband, Chad, have been so welcoming and generous every time I've seen them. One day I will be brave enough to take her up on her invitation to join spin class!
Chad Knight
Groomsman
Chad is a good man, a great husband to my sister, and wonderful father to my 2 nieces and nephews. In addition, to being a great bro-n-law Chad has become one of my dearest friends. I appreciate all the fun we have, the family trips, and his brotherly advice in the many conversations we’ve had over the years. He has always been generous to fit the bill for his lil’ bro and I have always admired his generosity and try and emulate it. On one of our great adventures Chad and I set out on my first long distance road bike through the southern beaches of Los Angeles, doing my best to keep up, by mile 55 I couldn’t keep the pace any longer and I fell over on one of the last turns and laid there. He helped me back up.
Kelly Kravitz
Bridesmaid
Kelly and I were roommates in Texas for almost four years. She has a contagious energy and a love for people unlike anyone I know. Kelly is the person I go to whenever I need a dose of encouragement or a reminder of God's calling. I knew I could count on her to compliment my outfits every morning when I walked downstairs. Kelly loves Gospel music, dancing, and cooking. I learned how to make salad dressing from her (among other things) and my family still asks for me to make dressing from her recipe to this day. Kelly knows how to sit with people in the hard, how to call on God's promises, and how to rejoice with others in a way that makes me feel truly known and loved.
Joel Staples
Groomsman
Joel is a good man and undoubtedly my oldest friend. Many of my earliest memories involve Joel and running around our houses playing wild games that mainly involved running and jumping over things inside and avoiding being tagged by his little brother. Joel is an accomplished athlete with a resume that could speak for itself (college baseball, stint in the minors, ping pong, etc.) but I will speak of his most proud sporting accomplishment... at a USC football game Joel kicked a 25 yard field goal in front of 80,000 screaming fans to win the AllState field goal challenge. One of our most common adventures has Joel and I battling it out on the ping pong table where I hold the upper hand consistently.
Tara Moore
Bridesmaid
Tara and I met in the throes of grad school. We both needed a friend and I am so incredibly grateful for her spirit. Not only did we hang out all the time, but she welcomed me into her family while I lived in Texas. We visited her parents, whom I lovingly call Mama and Papa Moore, more times than I can remember. They loved me so well that my parents also came out to the Moore farm for the small-town 4th of July experience. She is one of the biggest servants I know and also works serving children in foster care (now in New Zealand!). I treasure every phone call with her and love the crossover we share in Jesus and social work. I can be my true feisty self with "Miss T" and she is a champ at not taking me seriously.
John Wells
Groomsman
John is a good man, a gifted photographer, and has a vast knowledge of many things no one else does. John is an accomplished ornithologist and his bird calendars have become collector’s items in my home. I look forward to this year’s addition. John has a passion and enthusiasm for outdoor recreation that has taken us to Joshua Tree together six straight years. Our annual trips have been special and have allowed us to bring our joy for camping and that beautiful desert to many others over the years. I value John for his consistent companionship and his outpouring of love into my life over the years. Our last adventure had John and I pouring over the wonders of a good bowl of soup and sharing life together as we have done so often over a good meal over the past few years.
Harper Knight
Flower Girl
Harper is our five year old niece. I met her when Grant and I went to visit Washington for the first time together. Harper is a sweet, friendly, inquisitive, and bright young girl. She has lots of Husky pride and she loves anything creative. This past Christmas, Harper shared her animal sticker book with me and we worked on the spider page together. The Knight family has a Golden Retriever named Toby and Harper is Toby's best friend and strongest advocate. Her love for him is an inspiration to us all.
William Knight
Ring Bearer
William is a good man and a scholar. I know no kids with as many good questions as he has. He is inquisitive in every sense of the word. He holds the Camas record for most consecutive hours of playing basketball outside for a six year old, and at seven he broke his own record. He is a big time stud and he warms my heart with that big giant smile of his. Our last adventure had he and I making s’mores around a campfire on the Oregon coast and playing homerun derby in the sand with tennis balls.